Tongyeong's Winter Table:
Three Places Worth the Trip
Sirak-guk at dawn, smoky semi-dried fish, and a full oyster feast — the local spots actress Jang Young-nam couldn't stop talking about.
The episode opens at the Tongyeong Fishermen's Market Festival, where celebrated chefs like Oh Se-deuk, Park Jun-woo, and Kim Do-yoon were serving special dishes — a sign that this city's food culture runs deeper than most visitors realize. But the real story unfolds when Jang Young-nam steps into the market alleys and finds the meals she's been craving for years.
Tongyeong sits at the southern tip of the Korean Peninsula, surrounded by some of the country's best seafood — oysters, sea cucumbers, rockfish, and dried fish. But for visitors, the temptation to eat at tourist-facing restaurants near the waterfront is real, and it often leads to a perfectly average meal that misses everything the city has to offer.
The places where locals actually eat — the ones with 40-year histories and menus that haven't changed in decades — are tucked into residential alleys, near traditional markets, and off the main drag. Baekban Giyeong's greatest service is finding exactly those places. Here's what they found in Tongyeong.
Gamasot Sirakguk-jip (가마솥시락국집)
There's a category of Korean food that doesn't photograph dramatically but tastes like the best version of comfort you've ever had — sirak-guk is that dish. At this 40-year-old institution near Seoho Market, dried radish leaves (sirae-gi) are simmered with doenjang (fermented soybean paste) until the broth turns deep, earthy, and unmistakably warming. Local fishermen have been coming here before sunrise for decades. Nine side dishes come with every bowl, and refills are free and unlimited.
| Address | 12-15 Saeteo-gil, Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang, South Korea |
| Phone | +82-55-646-8843 |
| Hours | 04:00 AM – 2:00 PM (Last order: 1:30 PM) |
| Closed | Open year-round (may close early when ingredients run out) |
| Signature Dish | Sirak-guk (dried radish leaf soup set) |
Seongrim (성림)
Seongrim has appeared on multiple Korean food programs — and it keeps passing the test. Located in Tonam-dong, this place has quietly been one of Tongyeong's best-kept secrets for grilled fish. The fish is partially dried before cooking, which concentrates the flavor and creates a texture that's firm on the outside and moist inside. The real showstopper, though, is hapjajang — a reduced, intensely savory sauce made from blue mussels that's unlike anything most visitors have tasted. Even Jang Young-nam reportedly said it was her first time encountering it. The abalone stone-pot rice (jeonbok sotbap) alongside is mandatory.
| Address | 156 Balgae-ro, Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang, South Korea |
| Phone | +82-55-643-1425 |
| Hours | 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM (Last order: 7:00 PM) |
| Closed | Every Monday |
| Signature Dish | Semi-dried grilled fish set with hapjajang, abalone stone-pot rice |
Hyangto-jip (향토집)
If you're going to eat oysters in Korea, eating them in Tongyeong in winter is as good as it gets — and Hyangto-jip is where locals go to do it properly. This restaurant in Mujeon-dong holds government-recognized "100-year restaurant" status, a designation given only to places with verifiable lineage and consistent quality. The Hyangto Course moves through the full range of what Tongyeong oysters can do: blanched oysters, oyster pancakes (guljeong), marinated oysters, grilled oysters, raw oysters, and steamed oysters. The oyster season peaks from November through March, making winter the prime window.
| Address | 37-41 Mujeon 5-gil, Tongyeong, South Gyeongsang, South Korea |
| Phone | +82-55-645-4808 |
| Hours | 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM |
| Break Time | Weekdays 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM |
| Signature Dish | Hyangto Course, oyster bossam, steamed oysters |
📌 Quick Reference — All Three Restaurants
- Gamasot Sirakguk-jip — 12-15 Saeteo-gil · Opens 4 AM, closes by 2 PM or earlier · No MSG, 9 side dishes · Best visited before 9 AM
- Seongrim — 156 Balgae-ro · 11 AM–8 PM · Closed Mondays · Hapjajang + abalone rice is the move
- Hyangto-jip — 37-41 Mujeon 5-gil · 10 AM–8 PM · Weekday break 3–4 PM · Full oyster course, best Nov–Mar
Tongyeong earned its nickname from the layered beauty of its harbor — boats against limestone cliffs, the city climbing up behind them in pale pastel. But the more honest reason to come in winter is the seafood calendar. Oysters, sea squirts, and dried fish are all at their most flavorful from late November through early March. Tourist crowds thin out, restaurant waits are shorter, and the traditional markets like Seoho move at a pace that actually lets you stop and look.
The Tongyeong Fishermen's Market Festival, which happens annually in winter, brings chefs from across the country to cook with local catches. It's a good entry point if you want the overview before diving into the backstreet restaurants that the show found.
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